Doppler Labs delays its smart Here One earbuds until early 2017

We’ve been keeping an eye on Doppler Labs’ Here One augmented reality earbuds since we first had hands-on time with the company’s Here Active Listening System. With the ability to blend in outside sound along with playback, the Here One allows users to engage with their surroundings much more than is possible with standard in-ear headphones. In September, the company announced pre-orders would begin shipping before the end of the year, but it turns out we’ll have to wait until 2017, the company announced on Tuesday.

“At Doppler Labs we hold ourselves to the highest standard, and we want to ensure every unit we ship hits that standard without exception,” the company wrote in a blog post. “That’s why we’ve made the decision to do one final validation build before starting mass production. Here One pre-orders will begin shipping in February, and all pre-orders will ship by mid-March.”

While the validation build may not be particularly exciting to customers eagerly awaiting their pre-orders, Doppler Labs is making the most of the extra time to help listeners make the most out of the Here One. Alongside the news of the delay, the company announced partnerships with a slew of companies and organizations including the Cleveland Cavaliers, Coachella, JetBlue, the Mets, and the New York Philharmonic.

At a museum, for example, visitors could not only select their choice of music while they explore, but also listen to location-based commentary as they come to various exhibits, all while carrying on conversations with those around them. Through the partnership with the New York Philharmonic, on the other hand, users could listen to commentary discussing the music’s composer while still enjoying the music and the room’s acoustics.

Turning to sports, fans watching the latest Cavaliers game at the Quicken Loans Arena will be able to filter out crowd noise while listening to commentary, bringing the best parts of watching games from home into the arena. The New York Mets partnership works the same way, bringing commentary, stats, and more without the need to haul an AM radio to the game.